Delicate Rose
by Just-Met-A-Girl-Named-Maria
Summary: What if Chino actually did kill Maria? How did it happen? How does Tony, the love of her life, and Anita, her best friend, still reeling from the loss of her love, react? One shot. Rated T for vilolence and slightly suggestive theme.


**Hello all! So i got this idea after watching the West Side movie yesterday. It was actually reallt depressing to write...so don't say i didn't warn you...oh well Enjoy!**

* * *

Delicate Rose

Anita walked up the stairs to find her best friend Maria. They had much to talk about. As she approached the door, she lifted her hand to knock, but froze.

"Chino? What are you doing here?" Maria's voice sounded through the door.

Anita gently pressed her ear against the door in order to hear better.

"Shut up," Chino hissed through clenched teeth.

"I beg your pardon?" Maria seemed surprised to hear Chino speak to her in such a way.

"I know,"

"You know?" Maria asked. "You know what?"

"You know what I'm talking about Maria," he seethed.

Anita gasped. He had found out. What was he going to do?

"N-no, I d-don't," Maria's sweet voice cracked.

"Yes you do!" there was the sound of sudden movement.

"Chino don't!" Maria cried desperately.

Anita tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked.

"Who do you think you are, sleeping around with other men?" Chino shouted.

"No! Please!" Maria cried. "I do not know what – "

"You lie!" there was the sound of a slap, and the sound of a small delicate body hitting the floor. Anita again tried to force the door open but it wouldn't budge.

"Stop it Chino!" Maria sounded as though she was crying. "Please go away!"

"You would like me to!" Chino continued. "So you could be alone with your men!" Chino grunted as though he had kicked something, and Maria cried out in pain.

"Papa! Mama! Anita!"

Anita cringed at the sound of the sweet, innocent Maria crying in pain. She dashed away from the door and went outside and began to climb the fire escape up to Maria's window.

* * *

"Papa! Mama! Anita!" Maria cried desperately for help.

"Shut up!" Chino kicked her again, still pointing the gun at her. Maria recoiled in pain again, now in hysterics. Chino knelt down by her side. He roughly raked his fingers through her thick brown curls. "You _are_ so beautiful Maria…I would hate to ruin that pretty little face…" he seized her by the shoulders and lifted her off the ground and tried to kiss her. She leaned further and further back so he couldn't reach her lips. He slapped her again, and she staggered back.

"Chino _please_!" Maria implored. "Leave me alone, please!" she dropped down to her knees and clasped her hands together. "Please do not hurt me Chino please!" she was barely understandable through her hysterics. "Please…Chino…please…" she grasped the fabric of his pants and pleaded with him not to hurt her.

Had Chino not been drunk and insane with rage, he would have felt extreme pity for her. The way she cried and pleaded with him would remind anyone of an innocent child. But yet, he felt nothing. He merely kneed her so that she would let go of him.

"You listen to me now!" he said. "You do what _I _say!" he moved in closer to her.

"NO PLEASE!"

* * *

Anita heard the horrible sound of Maria screaming and hurried faster than ever up the fire escape. She reached the window and threw herself inside Maria's bedroom. She fell to the floor and looked up to see Maria smothered in the corner and Chino viciously kissing her. Anita bubbled up with rage.

"Chino!" she roared. "What do you think you are doing?"

Chino whirled around and released his brutal grip on Maria. She collapsed in a heap of tears on the floor. "What do you think _you _are doing?" he was now pointing the gun at Anita.

"You do not frighten me Chino," she clenched her teeth. "You are too much of a coward to use that gun,"

"Is that what you think?" his face turned a furious red color. He cocked the gun into firing position and turned it back to Maria. Maria squealed with terror.

"No!" Anita cried. "Do not hurt her…" she thought of something wonderful. If Chino would kill Anita instead, she could be with Bernardo, and Maria could live and be safe with Tony. "Use it on me instead! Prove me wrong and shoot me!"

For a moment Chino was seriously considering it.

"No!" Maria jumped on Chino and wrestled with him to get the gun out of his hands. He threw her off of him and she landed with a thud on the ground. Everything else seemed to slow down. Maria was on the floor looking up at Chino with pleading, teary eyes, Anita was throwing herself at Chino, and Chino was glaring at Maria with an evil stare, and the gun was fired.

Maria shrieked in horrible pain. It was too much to bear. Every breath she took was a horribly painful effort. Her body went limp on the ground and she was surrounded in a pool of blood.

"MARIA!" Anita ran to her and gathered her in her arms. "Maria…Maria…" she cradled her like a baby. "You will be alright…I promise…"

"It…hurts…Anita…" Maria panted. "Make…it…go away…"

"Shh, baby…" Anita held her closer. Tears sprang up in her eyes as she watched her best friend writhe and whimper in pain.

Chino stood there bewildered. What had he done? He had just shot a woman…an innocent girl…he was no better than that scum who killed Bernardo…he was _worse_…an innocent girl…

"I…" he mumbled, not knowing what to do.

"Get out," Anita snapped at him. "Now!"

Obeying, Chino tore out the fire escape, his body burning with guilt.

"Anita..." Maria whispered, barely audible.

"Shh," Anita picked up her dainty body and placed her on her bed. Maria kept trying to speak, but Anita kept quieting her. She wrapped the wound on her stomach in clean sheets, trying to make her last just a while longer.

"Tell…"

"What?" Anita asked stroking her head.

"Tony…tell him…" Maria winced in pain again, fresh tears springing up.

"I won't have to…you will…I promise…I will be back…" Anita practically jumped down the fire escape and ran as fast as she ever had run to Doc's pharmacy. She shoved the doors open.

"Where is Tony?" she panted.

"He ain't here!" Ice scowled at her.

"It is important!" she insisted. "Please I know he is here!"

"No he ain't!" they kept insisting.

Frustrated, Anita tried to push her way through. "Let me pass!" she tried to hit them and push them. "Tony!" she shouted trying to get his attention. "Tony! Come up here! It's Maria! She's been – "

"Quit shoutin' at nothin'!" Action shoved Anita to the floor. "He ain't – "

"What's happened?" Tony emerged from the basement. "What's wrong with Maria?"

"Tony, what are you – " Ice interrupted.

"Anita, what's happened?"

"Chino found out…and he shot her…"

Tony stumbled back. "W…what?"

"We must hurry!" Anita ran outside and Tony rushed after her, leaving the rest of the Jets behind, hopelessly confused.

"You mean, she's still alive?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Not for much longer…" Anita said, her voice cracking.

_No…not my Maria…_Tony began to run at full speed, and Anita nearly collapsed from exhaustion trying to keep up.

"MARIA!" He shouted, his cries echoing in the empty streets. "Maria, I'm coming!"

They reached the building and climbed the fire escape as fast as they could. Anita let Tony go ahead of her, and he threw himself into the room. He looked at the bed, and his heart shattered. The sight before him would forever be burned into his memory. He sank to his knees by her side.

"Tony…"

He wasn't too late! _Thank God…_"Maria…" he took hold of her delicate hand.

"Tony…I was afraid…"

"I'm here now…it's alright…" he kissed her hand. _It's so cold_…

"I don't…" Maria tried to talk, but winced in pain. Every tear that trickled down her face was another dagger in Tony's heart.

"Shh…" his voice trembled. "You don't have to talk. Just…" he found himself unable to continue. A sob escaped his lips and tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Tony…" Maria whispered, and he quieted, desperately wanting to hear what could have been her last words. "I don't want to leave you…you will be terribly lonely…I can't leave you,"

"You won't have to," he promised. "I'll-I'll get a doctor. You'll be fine, I promise,"

Maria simply nodded, knowing that there was really nothing that could be done.

"I promise you'll get better Maria…I promise…" he turned to Anita. "Anita, get a doctor, someone who can help,"

"Tony – "

"Anita!" he said warningly, and Anita didn't argue. It was a good excuse to get away from the devastating goodbye that she and Bernardo didn't get.

"Tony?" Maria asked, her voice growing weaker with every word.

"Yes?"

"Can you promise me something?"

"Of course, anything for you my beautiful Maria,"

"Promise you will not forget me,"

"Oh I could never forget you!" he grasped her hand tighter.

"When you are married, and have children…tell them stories of us?"

"I won't get married!" Tony insisted. "Not to anyone but you!"

"Please Tony…" Maria pleaded. "I want you to be happy. And if that means to find another…"

"No!" Tony was almost shouting, than he quieted, seeing Maria wince again. "There is no other woman on this earth that can make me as happy as you have. And why are we talking like this? You are going to be fine, I already promised,"

Maria closed her eyes. It felt good to rest for a while…

"Maria!" Tony cried. "Don't you dare! Don't you leave me!"

Maria slowly opened her eyes.

"Promise me you will try to be happy?"

"Maria – "

"Promise!" she shouted, which was really only the volume of a loud whisper.

"I-I promise," he said, finally giving in. He suddenly heard the sirens. "See? There they are! They're going to make you better, and we're going to run away…

"_There's a place for us  
A time and place for us  
Hold my hand  
And we're halfway there  
Hold my hand  
And I'll take you there  
Somehow...Some..."_

He paused; Maria was trying to say something. "What?" Tony asked, unable to hear her.

"_Te adoro, Anton," _

There was shouting outside, and people rushing up the stairs and opening the door, but all Tony heard, were Maria's final words, spoken to him. All he saw was her hand grow limp, and her eyes close forever. There were people around him trying to get to her to help her, but all Tony saw was the blood. The blood shed from her body. All he saw was her face, her face that would never smile that dainty, beautiful smile again. All he saw were the eyes that would never open and light up at the sight of him ever again. All he saw were the delicate hands, soft as the petals of a rose, that would never stroke his head again. All he saw were the lips, that would never kiss his again.

"Don't touch her," a snarling voice he hardly recognized came out of Tony's mouth, and everyone backed away. There was nothing he could do. It was all pointless. She was gone. His precious Maria…his delicate rose…

_No…no…_

It wasn't true. Maria wasn't dead. He would wake up soon, and she'd be there to comfort him and hold him.

_No, no, no…_

His Maria…his precious Maria…

_No…No! NO! NO! NO!_

"NO!" he screamed. He stood up. "NO!" he ran to the window and onto the fire escape. The doctors in the room followed him, and pulled him away from the edge. "NO! Please, just let me die…just let me die…CHINO! COME GET ME TOO!"

They dragged him back in the room and shut the window. He threw himself on the floor and pounded his fists on the ground in rage. Hysterical tears poured out of his eyes. He went on like this for many minutes, until he looked up to see everyone standing there watching him. He stood up and sat on the bed next to her lifeless body and gathered her into his arms, remembering every feature. _I promise I won't forget you…I promise I won't forget you…_

He leaned over and kissed her ice cold forehead. He whispered quietly, _"Te adoro, Maria," _he got off the bed and looked away as the doctors carried her out of the room. Her parents had just arrived home from work after being notified that she had been killed. The sounds of her mother's wailing and her father's weeping filled the air, but all Tony heard was _"Te adoro, Anton," _over and over in his head.

_I promise I won't forget you…_

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**_Oof depressing..._**

**_Review? Please?_**


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